Over the past three decades, manufacturing businesses have been successful in recycling many types of wastes: newspapers, cardboard, aluminum, steel, glass, various plastics, etc. In the case of plastics, there are certain types of plastic waste that do not readily recycle into commercially viable new products. One such type of waste is metallized polyolefin material.
Metallized polyolefins are common in the food packaging industry as barrier films. For example, metalized polyolefin films are used as potato chip bags, snack bar wrappers, etc. Other applications of metalized polyolefin films, particularly polypropylene films, include the packaging of electronic and medical devices as well as dielectrics in electronic film capacitors.
Another application of metallized polyolefins, particularly polypropylene, is in the plating industry. Decorative chrome plating (trivalent chromium) of injection molded polypropylene is commonly found on household and domestic appliances as well as on components of other durable and non-durable goods. In addition, also common is decorative vacuum metalizing of polypropylene and polyethylene molded parts and thermoformed sheets, for example, confectionery trays.
Metal plating of polypropylene moldings is also not limited to decorative applications. Engineering requirements such as EMI and RFI shielding, electro-static dissipation, wear resistance, heat resistance, and thermal and chemical barriers at times necessitates the metal plating of polypropylene moldings.
Currently, there are various methods and systems for reclaiming and recycling these metallized polyolefins. Some methods separate the metal from the polyolefin; however, these methods are limited to very thick metal layers. Other methods and systems do not involve separating the metal from the polyolefin. Until now, there have been very few uses for this unseparated metallized polyolefin material. Thus, manufacturers of these metallized polyolefin products regularly send their metal-coated polyolefin waste to landfills instead of recycling them.
Sending any manufacturing waste to a landfill is undesirable. The cost associated with sending waste to a landfill is steadily increasing and there are always environmental concerns with dumping any waste in a landfill.